Candles
by HikariKegawaAshi
Summary: Ludwig and Feliciano have been friends for many years but just as things start becoming intimate an accident happens that threatens to separate them. GerIta. BoyxBoy. Don't like, don't read.
1. The First Spark

**Candles**

**Chapter 1: The First Spark**

**A/N:** This is a joint story idea based off of a RP with me and PristineDreamworld (PDW). For chapter 2, watch PDW (and I'll post a link when it's done).

**Disclaimer:** Does not own Hetalia.

In a normal business office, this meeting would have been called a disaster. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on who you asked, this meeting was a usual meeting. Everyone seemed to be talking at once and no one even seemed to be listening to anyone else. No one was on topic or even paying attention to the meeting; they were too preoccupied with their own personal business.

Ludwig tried to get their attention and rein them back on topic but his voice was lost in the sea of shouts. He tried to keep his calm but as time was quickly burned with no progress occurring, Ludwig started to get angrier and angrier.

Slamming his hands on the table, he stood up, knocking his chair backwards. The loud thud halted the other countries conversations.

"Everybody shut up!" Ludwig yelled, his face tight with rage. "Gott, you all act like children! We're countries and we have responsibilities! Can't you all just pay attention for a few hours of your life?"

Silence filled the meeting room for the first time since the meeting started. A pin could be heard dropping on the floor but the only thing that was heard was the clang of Ivan's pipe meeting the floor, followed by the frightened squeaks of the Baltic nations. Ludwig sighed and pinched his nose. "Anyone who wants to speak has eight minutes with absolutely no one going over their time limit." he said, glaring at the American who could babble for practically hours about super heroes and hamburgers.

He righted his chair and sat back down. The meeting proceeded forward. The order Ludwig had created slowly began to unravel despite Ludwig's efforts. By the time the meeting ended, Ludwig was fuming and tired. He neatly collected his papers and stood. He walked to the hall, wide shoulders back and chest forward. He sighed as he exited the room. It felt as though the meeting had crushed his mood; it's why he hated meetings do much.

"Ve~ Doitsu! Germany!" the familiar voice exclaimed. Ludwig groaned quietly. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the ditzy Italian.

The jovial Italian ran over to Ludwig and enveloped the German in a hug. Ludwig groaned and sharply pushed him off.

"Ve~ what's wrong, Germany?" Feliciano asked, pouting. Ludwig ignored the small voice in his head thinking of how cute he looked. Instead, the frown that seemed ever present on his face only deepened. He started walking down the hall.

"Just leave me alone, Feliciano," Ludwig grumbled. He listened to the steady thumping of his feet as he walked down the nearly empty corridor. A pin could have been heard dropping and he was satisfied. Maybe now he'll be able to find some peace and quiet far away from countries who couldn't focus on their work for more than a few minutes.

What he didn't expect was to hear the Italian start crying. Sure, the Italian did cry a lot but he expected that since he had been in such a good mood and had so many other friends around that he wouldn't care that Ludwig didn't want to spend time with him.

"WAAA! Ludwig doesn't want to play with me anymore!" Feliciano sobbed. Ludwig was surprised by his own reaction. The Italian sounded absolutely pitiful. He stopped and quietly turned to see the boy hiding his face with his hands as his shoulders shook uncontrollably. Something seemed to break in Ludwig. As much as he could get annoyed with the Italian, he did love the boy.

He didn't even need to order himself to go over; he just did it. He gently took a hold of Feliciano's shoulders and shook him. He didn't shake him hard but it wasn't gentle either. Ludwig bit his lip as Feliciano looked up, his face red and streaked with tears.

"L-Ludwig?" he stammered, his voice quiet with a slight undertone of disbelief. Ludwig's heart thumped against his ribcage for some unknown reason. He had seen the Italian cry many times but there was something different about this one.

Maybe it was because he had been the one to cause him to cry. Maybe it was because he was the one who had destroyed his good mood. He had to fix it. He didn't know how but if he was responsible for making him sad then he would also be responsible with cheering him up.

He loosened the grip on his shoulders and awkwardly patted his arm. "Don't cry," he said, forcing his voice to smooth out instead of sounding harsh. Feliciano blinked and looked up into him. His big brown eyes were big and round and wet with tears but they were also clouded with confusion.

"W-what?" he asked, sniffing and wiping his tears. Something in Ludwig gut twisted and his heart fluttered. Despite his face being so red, there was something cute about him. His mind searched for things to say to cheer him up; to put that smile back on his face and to make him bounce with energy again.

As his mind fumbled, his mouth seemed to speak for itself. "Please stop crying," Ludwig pleaded quietly. He didn't know where the words were coming from and he tried to snatch them back or at least prevent him from speaking again but Feliciano brightened just a little, "How about I take you to dinner to make up for making you cry?"

Wait what?

Did he just ask Feliciano to dinner? He couldn't have. He never would say that. But the Italian smiled and Ludwig couldn't bring himself to change his mind. The Italian seemed so happy and deep down, he wanted to go to dinner too.

"Ve~ really?" Feliciano asked. He smile happily and wiped the rest of his tears away. Ludwig blushed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He nodded quietly.

"Ja..." he said quietly. Feliciano beamed happily and clapped his hands with a bounce that made Ludwig's heart flutter. He hugged Ludwig tightly.

"Ok! That sounds great!" Feliciano exclaimed happily. Ludwig blushed and lightly hugged back. Feliciano pulled back. His eyes were closed but he wore his classic grin. Ludwig blushed an even darker red and tried to calm his thumping heart.

"I-I'll pick you up at five..." he said. Feliciano nodded enthusiastically.

"Ve~ ok!" he exclaimed happily. He gave Ludwig one last hug. "I'll see you soon! I have to go!" Feliciano smiled happily. Ludwig nodded and watched as the Italian bound off to go find his brother.

Ludwig sighed. He doesn't know where the idea had come from but he oddly didn't regret it. He actually found himself looking forward to seeing the Italian later on that night.

He knew he couldn't deny it to himself but he was attracted to the Italian. He was just so sweet and cute that he couldn't resist him or his personality. He never wanted to see him cry again and he wanted to be the one to always cheer him up.

A light smile tugged at his lips. Ludwig went down the hallway towards his car. He had to hurry if he wanted to make reservations and get ready. He could hardly wait for it.


	2. Threatened by Fierce Winds

**Candles, Ch. 2 Threatened by Fierce Winds**

**A/N: **This chapter writen by PristineDreamworld on DeviantArt

Feliciano continued down the other hall while looking for his siblings in a bouncy, jovial manner. He was really excited about going to dinner with Ludwig. The German had been his friend for quite some time, but it was in more recent years that Feliciano slowly realized that Ludwig wasn't just a friend or an ally. Even when Ludwig had yelled at him to keep training or reprimanded him, it had been in Feliciano's best interest. Ludwig had always looked out for him and cared for him; he didn't know what he would do without him. After a while, he finally found his siblings. Romano was talking to his younger sister Alessandra, who represented Sicily. From the grey tweed coppola from under which the inherent Italian curl protruded from the center of her head, to the golden-amber eyes, short, dark brown hair and Mediterranean tanned skin, one could tell she was Feliciano and Lovino's sister, but also that she was closer to Lovino. The latter was glaring and inaudibly muttering at his phone as if he was expecting it to do something, and Alessandra seemed to be trying to calm him down. Feliciano sighed to himself as he knit his brow. Lovino had been like this ever since he had sent a text to Antonio a while ago and hadn't gotten a response yet. He hadn't shown up to the meeting, which made Lovino very unhappy. Everyone knew Antonio was out of the meetings lately because the Euro crisis had impacted his country's economy badly, making him sick, but trying to explain that to Lovino was a chore in itself. Feliciano walked over to his siblings. Alessandra sent him a sharp look that was to have the same effect as a cat arching its back and hissing. Yet, Feliciano returned the look in the same manner as they had never gotten along but managed to co-exist.

"So, you guys ready to head home?" he inquired in the cheerful manner he had before. Alessandra nodded and Lovino glared at his cell phone for a second longer before closing it and looking frustrated.

"Whatever..." he grumbled to himself and led them back to their car. Feliciano gazed out the car window cheerfully at the passing scenery. With every passing minute, the world seemed to get brighter and brighter. All three Italians (rather, the two Italians and the Sicilian, as Alessandra demanded that she be addressed as a Sicilian) arrived at their home. Lovino trudged towards the door and Alessandra walked at a normal pace. Yet, Feliciano had a bit of a spring in his step and tried to contain his excitement, but his beaming face gave him away. Lovino unlocked the door and walked inside. Alessandra went straight to her room. But when Feliciano closed the door behind him, Lovino stood there, glaring at him.

"You seem... chipper," Lovino said coldly. Feliciano got an eerie feeling. He usually got said feeling when Lovino had a suspicion. Despite this, he maintained the character he had earlier.

"I guess I do; today's just a really nice day~!" he said smiling. Lovino was unmoved.

"Really... Now why is that...?" Translation: You're up to something I don't approve of. Spit it out. Feliciano knew he was trapped, but tried holding his ground by staying silent. Lovino moved imperceptibly closer to intimidate him.

"I asked you something... didn't I?" he said with little sympathy. Feliciano's will gave out.

" L... Ludwig offered to take me to dinner at five..." Feliciano answered timidly, afraid of his brother's verdict. Silence filled the house as Lovino processed the information. Lovino stepped back and began laughing bitterly.

"Oh dio, you're stupid! You must have forgotten all the times I told you that you were supposed to stay away from him. Don't you remember how he acted towards you when you betrayed him in World War II? Face it; he's nothing more than an emotionless, worthless, muscle bastard with a potato for a brain. He doesn't care about you. Why would he?" Lovino saw that his little brother seemed to crumple under the barrage of words and smiled condescendingly as he started to walk away. "Now that I've managed to open your eyes, I don't want you interacti-"

"D-don't say stuff like that about Ludwig!" Feliciano managed to speak up, stopping Lovino in his tracks. The latter turned around slowly, a half-horrified, half-menacing look in his golden eyes.

"... What did you say...?" He said slowly and walked back to his brother to show he was dominant. Yet Feliciano managed to stand his ground and finish his thought.

"None of that stuff you said about Ludwig is true. He's not emotionless; Ludwig just has a hard time expressing himself. He's not worthless; he's given the world so many useful things. He is in no way dumb; Ludwig is one of the smartest people I've ever met, if not the smartest himself. He always takes care of me and looks out for me. So don't say he do-" Feliciano felt something like fire sear sharply across his cheek, interrupting him. He stumbled back slightly as Lovino drew his hand back.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing! How on earth could you get the ridiculous idea that he could honestly care about you?" Lovino raised his voice. Feliciano nursed the abrasion on his cheek as he tried to find his answer.

"Because I can sense when people care, and... I think Ludwig really cares, maybe even likes me... I can't sense any form of care from y-" Feliciano's speech was stopped by two infuriated hands wrapping themselves around his thin neck and pinning him to the wall. Lovino's eyes burned with a raging, uncontrollable fire set to destroy the belligerence on his character.

"JUST SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT THE HELL UP! You have no idea how annoying you are, do you?... DO YOU?" His grip tightened and Feliciano tried to breathe, but it was becoming extremely difficult. He tried prying Lovino's hands from his neck but they only tightened.

"I'll let go if you promise to never mention that potato bastard ever again," Lovino said with a slight hint of possible forgiveness in his voice. Feliciano managed to get enough of a breath to answer.

"N... no..." The fire flared up greater than before in Lovino's eyes.

"THEN I'LL JUST HAVE TO SHUT YOU UP MYSELF!" Lovino raged and almost clinched Feliciano's fate when Alessandra came rushing down the stairs and pushed them apart. As Feliciano regained his breath, Alessandra did something she usually never did: she faced her back to Feliciano and protected him. Lovino was shocked; usually Alessandra acted like she hated Feliciano's guts. The latter collapsed to his knees, recovering from the stress.

"Why are you defending him?" Lovino demanded to know.

"Because we're FAMILY!" she replied in a slightly louder voice, an unwavering expression on her face.

"What does that have to do with anything? It never seemed to matter before!" Lovino argued. Alessandra took a deep breath hoping that a calm and fluid explanation would make the message clearer.

"In Sicily, one of our top priorities is to our families and their happiness. He may be Italy, I may be Sicily, and I may hate to admit it, but Feliciano is my brother. Since he's such, I want to see him happy. Even if that means him being around Ludwig," Here, she shuddered as she shared a viewpoint of Germans similar to Lovino, "I'll support him through and through." She looked down at Feliciano, who looked back up as he listened. Lovino had had enough. He shook his head to show that he was done with this.

"Alright, you win; you can go to dinner with him." Feliciano brightened up slightly. "But know this; once you leave, the only time I want to see you here is if you're coming back to get your belongings. Even then, it'll be too soon," he said coldly as paced slowly to his room.

Alessandra looked sadly at him, then Feliciano before wandering back to her room. He was still processing the information: Lovino now hated him and basically evicted him. Feliciano hadn't seen it coming. If only he had simply agreed instead of trying to defend Ludwig, he would've never created such trouble for himself. But then Feliciano remembered for what reason, actually for who, he had done that, and he felt a little better. For once, he didn't feel utterly useless.

Then he realized that the time was closing in on five and that he had to change out of his meeting clothes. He went to his room and got a change of clothes. When he went into the bathroom and changed his shirt, he couldn't take his eyes away from the injuries shown in the mirror. His tanned cheek had been marred by a purplish, hand-shaped bruise. Two ghostly hands still pressed their ugly purple-brown image into Feliciano's neck, even though the physical hands were now far away from him.

Feliciano gently traced the bruises, remembering what had brought them on. The stress built up as tears in his eyes and eventually spilled down past the slap mark, making it burn yet feel so cold at the same time. Feliciano dried his tears and put on his new shirt, buttoning the collar all the way to hide the strangle marks. He also brushed some bangs over the slap mark to hide it as best he could. Feliciano looked at himself in the mirror and reminded himself, 'Grin and bear it. Ludwig doesn't need to know.'

Feliciano went back downstairs and into the living room. He sat on the couch and waited; waited for a sound of freedom, a sound of some place better than here. All he could do was hope and wait patiently for Ludwig to show up and free him, even if only for a short time.


	3. Blowing on the Flame

Candles. Chapter 3

Ludwig came to pick Feliciano up exactly on time. He adjusted his tie quietly. He wasn't used to wearing a tie without his military suit but he had changed into a normal suit for his appointment.

He didn't know if it could be considered a date. The word felt so foreign in his mouth. He hadn't been on many dates before and hadn't felt like he ever really liked a person romantically. The feelings he felt for Feliciano were completely new to him and entirely different to anything else he had felt for a person before. He didn't want to admit that he liked a man, but he couldn't ignore those feelings either.

He stepped out of the car and smoothed his gelled-back hair and sighed. Butterflies swarmed around in his stomach a lot like what he felt before a big war. Was his 'date' with Feliciano going to be a war? He shook his head to stop his foolish thoughts. He was just nervous, he told himself. He didn't want to mess up their dinner. He was still reluctant to call it a date, but it felt like one.

He let out a breath and walked up to the door. He knocked his fist against the thick door and waited patiently.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. Feliciano must have been waiting and opened the door just a few moments after the German had knocked. Ludwig jumped in surprise when the Italian threw the door open. He grinned happily at Ludwig, sending the German's heart into a flutter by it's radiance.

"Ve~ You're here!" Feliciano exclaimed happily. He had also changed as well and was wearing a nice dress shirt and pants. He could have dressed in only his bathing suit and, although Ludwig would have been embarrassed, he still would have thought he looked breath taking.

"Ja...I said I would, didn't I?" Ludwig stammered, his cheeks blushing dark red. He glanced away awkwardly, hoping Feliciano wouldn't notice.

"Si, you did, but I was worried that you'd forget or something. I mean, it's really surprising that you wanted to do this...not that I'm complaining. I'm really excited but I didn't know you like me!" Feliciano babbled happily.

Ludwig's heart seemed as if it wanted to burst out of his rib cage. He blushed darkly. "I-I don't..." he paused seeing Feliciano's smile fall and his curl droop slightly. "I-I mean...Ja. I-I'm just glad you wanted to come."

Feliciano grinned once again as if he hadn't heard the first part of what Ludwig was going to say. "Of course I wanted to come! Why wouldn't I?" he smiled excitedly.

Ludwig chuckled. "Let's get to the car. I'm starving!" he said.

Feliciano nodded and happily skipped out of his house. He took Ludwig's hand and led him to the car.

"Ve~ this is going to be great! Where are we going to eat? I don't even really care to be honest. Although, I would like some pasta but I'm fine with anything as long as I can just eat with you! Oh my gosh, I'm excited!" Feliciano babbled happily.

A small smile tugged at Ludwig's mouth and he couldn't help but smile at the Italian. He stumbled behind the energetic Italian to his car. He unlocked the door to his car. He opened the door and held it for Feliciano who smiled and thanked him in Italian. Ludwig nodded awkwardly and shut the door after he got down.

He still didn't know why he was so nervous. Feliciano was so excited that he'd have to really mess up in order to disappoint him. Although, he still wanted to make the night special. He couldn't admit it but he knew it deep down. What else could explain the thumping of his head or the clamminess of his hand?

He got in his own side and started his Volkswagen. The purr of the engine calmed his nerves and he allowed his shoulders to slack. Feliciano was jittering excitedly in his seat and grinning his classic closed eyed smile. Ludwig saw how happy he was and relaxed. He drove to a fancy Italian restaurant and opened the door for Feliciano again. They walked side by side into the restaurant to the desk where a waiter was waiting to seat them.

"Reservations for Bielschmidt," Ludwig told the man as they approached. The waiter nodded and picked up two menus.

"Right this way," he said politely. Feliciano and Ludwig followed the man through the distinguished restaurant. Feliciano seemed to be very relaxed in an Italian setting. A deep man sang a song in Italian which was only barely heard. The place was dark except for the soft reflection of candles placed at every table. A pristine linen table cloth was carefully laid over the table and elegant chairs sat in wait.

Ludwig and Feliciano took their seat in the small round table. They picked up the menus laid neatly over their plates. The waiter stood erect between the two. The candle light flickering off his face made his handsome features more prominent and he looked a great deal younger.

"What may I get you two gentlemen to drink?" he asked politely. Ludwig couldn't tell whether the man thought they were on a date or not. Heck, Ludwig didn't even know but he was still uncomfortable thinking of the two of them on a date. Dating was such an odd thing for him. He hadn't considered dating countries since their bosses might make them break up and it was pointless to date humans. It was inevitable that human would grow old and die and Ludwig knew that he wouldn't be able to watch the person he loved get old and die without him.

"I'll have a glass of wine, please?" Feliciano asked politely, smiling happily at the waiter who just nodded respectfully and turned to Ludwig.

"Millers lite, please." he said, his tone gruff. The man nodded.

"I'll bring them out right away an come back to take your orders if you're ready." he said. Feliciano nodded enthusiastically and thanked him in Italian. Ludwig blushed. The Italian looked so excited and Ludwig was so bland and average. Nether the less, his mood did not seem to deter Feliciano's, which was all Ludwig really cared about.

The two nations turned their heads back to their menus. Feliciano's smile faded as he looked over the menu. While this was normal to anyone else, it was odd for Feliciano. Ludwig glanced up over the laminate pages of his menu and gazed at the Italian. His cheerful smile was gone and a thoughtful frown was in its place. He was looking at one spot of his menu, not really appearing to be reading it.

"Feliciano?" Ludwig asked. The Italian's head snapped up and the grin assumed its normal place though his eyes were wide in confusion and guilt.

"Si?"

Ludwig frowned slightly. It was obvious to him that something was bothering the Italian but the smaller man didn't want to tell him. "Is something wrong?"

Feliciano smiled and shook his head. "Ve~ nothing's wrong!" he exclaimed. Ludwig still wasn't convinced; the Italian man still had his eyes open and he was awkwardly fiddling with his menu. Ludwig didn't say anything and just stared at him seriously. The Italian started to shrink under his gaze and Ludwig knew he was close to caving in.

"Ok, there is something wrong!" Feliciano sighed and looked down. His smile faded to a frown again. "Lovino and I had a fight..."

Lovino and Feliciano fought often. Lovino angered easily and he found his younger brother annoying a lot of times. But it never really got far other than Lovino screaming, Feliciano crying and Lovino making an apology. Something else must have happened for Feliciano to be this nervous.

"And..." Ludwig encouraged him to continue. His tone was softer. The Italian was nervous enough as it was; he didn't need Ludwig to make him feel worse.

Feliciano looked down and mumbled under his breath. Ludwig frowned trying to translate the mumbling into English.

"Uh...you'll have to speak louder..." Ludwig told him quietly.

"Lovino kinda kicked me out of the house..." Feliciano whispered just loud enough for Ludwig to hear.

Ludwig was shocked. He couldn't believe Romano would kick Feliciano out of the house like that. Sure, he had a temper, but to throw Feliciano out... Ludwig had no doubt in his mind that they fought because Romano found out about Feliciano's 'date'. It was no secret that the older Italian didn't like the German. It was also not a secret that he cared about his little brother and was extremely protective of him. It was almost impossible to think of Romano throwing Feliciano out of the house for more than a few hours.

"...Maybe he wasn't serious. He might have been really angry and said it in the heat of the moment. I'm sure that when I take you back he'll apologize or tell you that you don't have to go." Ludwig offered. The Italian looked so sad. He adored his older brother and hated whenever he got yelled at. It must've been killing him to get kicked out. Ludwig's brain scrambled for ways to comfort the man. He awkwardly patted Feliciano's shoulder.

Feliciano looked up. The action was simple, but he understood it's significance coming from Ludwig. A wide grin spread across his tan face and Ludwig smiled slightly, relieved that the Italian appeared to be happy again.

"Ve~ I hope so. I've never seen him so mad before," Feliciano said, smiling happily still. "But that's ok because it was worth it to come here! I'm having a great time, Luddy!"

Ludwig blushed darkly at the nickname. He turned his face to the side slightly to hide the blush but Feliciano giggled at how cute he was. "That is gutt. I'm having a good time as well."

Almost as if from perfect timing, the waiter came out and delivered their drinks. Feliciano picked up his glass and took a sip of the wine.

"Do you know what you want to drink?" the waiter asked politely. The pair nodded. Ludwig motioned for Feliciano to go first. He, of course, ordered pasta. Ludwig ordered a steak and a baked potato. The waiter nodded and went to the kitchen to deliver their orders.

Feliciano was the one holding most of the conversation. He only stopped the conversation to thank the waiter when he brought their food. He would take a bite, chew for a few moments and then continue talking. Ludwig couldn't help but smile softly at the Italian. He was the only one who could be so sad one moment and then be so happy the next. He ate quietly and listened to the Italian ramble off happily. He was content with just listening to the Italian talk as he formulated a plan in his mind to either get Romano to let Feliciano back at home or to find lodging for Feliciano.

Ludwig was hesitant to let the Italian live with him. Gilbert also lived with his basement. He didn't know if he could handle both the Italian and his brother at once. Yes, he cared for both of them deeply but they drove him insane sometimes. He was also going to be busy with work and he didn't want to ignore the Italian. Feliciano was like a little kid: he needed constant surveillance or he would make a mess. The Italian had work to do but he hardly seemed to do it.

Ludwig just smiled and nodded every so often as the Italian rambled on. He eventually stopped his thoughts and just let himself relax. He could always discuss the topic with Feliciano in the car or deal with it when the time came.

But all he wanted to do right now was to sit and enjoy his 'date' with Feliciano. If Feliciano could be so care free, then maybe Ludwig should follow his example and learn to relax. Maybe Feliciano wasn't always a pest. Maybe he couldn't fight and always ran away. Maybe he always made a mess. But it was Feliciano: one of the most caring, considerate, sweet and care free people he knew. Maybe he could teach Ludwig a thing or two.


	4. Changing like the Dusk

Candles. Ch. 4. Changing like the Dusk

Later, the two nations were done with their meal and left the restaurant, having paid. Feliciano walked cheerfully beside Ludwig on the way back to the car.

"Ve~ I had a really good time, Luddy~!" he said, smiling jovially. Ludwig blushed at the seemingly permanent nickname.

"I-I'm glad to hear that..." Feliciano smiled gently; Ludwig was so adorable when he acted kind of shy. To Feliciano, it meant that not every bad thing in the world had gotten to Ludwig, that there was still another side of him to get to know. He also smiled because Ludwig hadn't seemed to notice the physical marks of Lovino's unreasonable rage; the last thing he wanted to do was draw him completely into his problems as he didn't want Ludwig to worry any more than he already did. In a habit he soon wished he didn't have, Feliciano tucked some of his hair behind his ear, revealing the phantom hand's mark on his cheek and his hand brushed the collar of his shirt, briefly displaying the mark of the hands once pressed around his neck. He didn't notice that Ludwig had paused in walking, half-mortified by what he saw. However, he noticed when a hand grasped his wrist firmly but not threatening to break anything and he came to a stop, blushing at the touch and his heart racing. He had held Ludwig's hand and he had blushed then, but this time the touch was almost unexpected. Feliciano slowly looked back to find Ludwig with the half-mortified look on his face placed by seeing Feliciano's out of place injuries. The former lightly pulled on Feliciano's wrist, turning him and pulling him closer. Feliciano blushed redder, not exactly sure was going on. Ludwig's fingers traveled up to Feliciano's cheek, barely grazing the skin marked purple-brown. He realized what was going on as Ludwig took a closer look at the bruise that circled Feliciano's neck: he had been exposed. Feliciano glanced away in shame after he saw the mixed look on Ludwig's face; horror that Feliciano could be hurt in such a way, anger at whoever did this to him, sadness that Feliciano had to go through such harm in the first place.

"Feliciano, what exactly happened in your fight with Lovino...?" Ludwig asked in a low, controlled voice to not let any of the conjured emotions seep into his voice. Feliciano didn't answer for a minute, and then took a deep breath.

"Fratello, sorella, and I had just gotten home from the meeting when Lovino asked me why I was so happy. He's been really on edge lately, so he hasn't been able to think straight. I tried not answering, but he kept pressuring me and I cracked. When I told him, he said that I was stupid, that I shouldn't see you anymore, and a lot of bad things about you. I tried standing up for you, but he slapped me for being 'impudent'." He brushed solemnly at the slap mark. "I kept standing up for you and he..."

His voice trailed off as he traced lightly at the strangle mark, letting the bruise do the explaining.

"He promised he would stop if I never mentioned you or saw you again. I refused and he was about to finish me off when Alessandra showed up and intervened. She managed to get him away from me, but he still hated my guts and told me to get my belongings after dinner with you. If I'm right, he's probably still mad at me; I practically disobeyed him."

Tears started welling in his sad, amber eyes, but he tried hiding it with a futile smile.

"I mean, little brothers are supposed to do what their older brothers tell them to, ri-"

He was cut short by a pair of strong arms wrapping themselves around him quickly and drawing him into a comforting embrace. Feliciano's heart started beating out of control and his face blushed as red as a rose. He had been close to Ludwig sometimes, but this embrace felt different from the others.

"L-Lud-?"

"No. No, you don't need to do everything he tells you to. He's not you; you can make your own decisions. ... Gott, Feliciano; I'm sorry! I wish I'd known what happened; I could've done something..."

Feliciano eventually regained control of his body and shook his head, returning the embrace.

"No, it's okay. I don't know if there was anything that could be done." Feliciano said softly. Ludwig didn't respond, almost appalled at how subservient Feliciano was to Lovino's recent treatment of him.

A couple seconds later, Feliciano was able to connect the dots: Ludwig apologizing the way he did after the meeting, offering to treat him to dinner, becoming so concerned when he discovered his injuries, and almost his overall behavior towards Feliciano lately. Did he...

"U-um, Ludwig?" he asked softly.

"Ja...?" The tone of his voice sounded like he had realized just how close they were now.

"I-I know this might seem a little bit of an odd question, but... D-do you like me?"

The next few seconds were filled with silence and seemed to last an eternity. Ludwig slowly drew back but didn't let go of Feliciano, letting his eyes connect with Feliciano's. The blushing, almost embarrassed look on Ludwig's face made Feliciano's heart beat flutter faster and stop at the same time. He was afraid that he had taken all the signals the wrong way, that he had embarrassed not just Ludwig, but himself for possibly expressing feelings futilely to someone who did not feel the same. The German eventually dropped his arms from around the Italian's slim frame. Feliciano feared that he had made things irreparably awkward, that Ludwig would drop Feliciano off at his house and avoid talking to him for the rest of their lives. Ludwig glanced away shyly and rubbed the back of his neck. Feliciano was sure Ludwig would say he didn't, change the subject, and drive Feliciano home, leaving him there. Ludwig managed to re-establish the silent connection between ice-blue eyes and golden-amber eyes. What he said next, Feliciano almost didn't expect.

"Uh... J-ja, I... I like you..."

Neither of them could tell right away that something in them had changed with the four-word question and its' four-word response. The feeling both had conjured was an elephant in the room: it was so obvious and yet it felt so hidden. Time stopped for Feliciano as the words he had hoped for sank in. When time restarted, he felt euphoric tears rolling down his cherry-red cheeks and past a slowly-spreading smile. Feliciano wrapped his arms around Ludwig, overjoyed, the latter of which tensed up slightly at the embrace out of instinct. But for Feliciano, these embraces just felt so much more right.

"Y... you probably don't know... How happy that makes me, Luddy~!" Feliciano looked at him with shining, smiling golden-amber eyes. Ludwig, at first, flustered, eventually seemed to realize the same as Feliciano had and gently wrapped his arms around the petite Italian.

"J-ja..." he said with a soft smile, a blush painting his cheeks light pink. Feliciano smiled his closed eye smile; being with Ludwig, this moment... Everything just felt so right. After a minute, Ludwig pulled away, his cheeks still flushed.

"I-I'm not so sure that you should go back to Lovino." There it was; a mood-killer. Suddenly, Feliciano was pulled back from Cloud 9 by the gravity of Ludwig's statement. He considered this and what Ludwig said earlier that Lovino might let him home.

"Well, you could've been right earlier. Maybe if we go, he'll let me back home~!" Feliciano smiled brightly. Ludwig looked like he was going to say something, but the cheerful, hopeful expression on Feliciano's face seemed to silence the thought.

"Ok. Let's head to your house and see what we can work out." Ludwig eventually said. Feliciano smiled and nodded.

"Yay~" Feliciano smiled. Ludwig seemed to blush at Feliciano's cheerfulness. They came to a nonverbal agreement to go back to the car. Ludwig held open the door on Feliciano's side of the Volkswagen.

"Grazie, Ludwig~!" he said cheerfully as he climbed in. Ludwig nodded and closed his door, going to the driver's side of the car. As he started the car up and began driving, Feliciano gazed out at the sky changing in the sunset. He wondered, would his life from here on change like the dusk-time sky?


	5. Combustion

Candles. Ch. 5. Combustion

The two soon arrived at Romano and Feliciano's house. Feliciano looked nervously at the house. Only a sliver of the sun was visible behind the horizon. The low sun cast skewed shadows across the lawn, making everything look even more eerie and scary. Feliciano uneasily opened his doors and stepped out after Ludwig had parked the car and turned off the engine. Feliciano met Ludwig by the walkway. Ludwig looked down at the nervous Italian. A small smile teased his lips and Feliciano couldn't help but smile. He didn't know anyone else that would go through all of this trouble for him. He was so lucky to know someone like Ludwig.

"It'll be ok, Feli. I'm sure he calmed down and will work this out with us." He said soothingly. Feliciano noticed his gaze lower to look down at the hand marks on his neck and cheek. Ludwig smiled ever so softly and led him up to the front door.

Feliciano felt butterflies start to whirl around his stomach. Thoughts started to flash through his brain, making his terrified to open the door. What if Ludwig was wrong and Romano didn't want to work things out? Or what if he did and he hurts Feliciano again? Or what if he is so mad still that he hurts Ludwig as well. Feliciano didn't want to think about Ludwig getting hurt for him. It was all too horrible. He just said a silent prayer to God that his fratello wouldn't be too mad and hurt anyone.

Ludwig must have noticed how the thoughts were affecting him, for he hesitantly took the Italians hand and squeezed. Feliciano looked up at the German and smiled. He relaxed quietly. He knew Ludwig wouldn't let Romano hurt him. He was big and strong; he would fix this.

Ludwig released his hand and knocked on the door. Feliciano's heart hammered against his chest. The time trickled by agonizingly slow. He wanted to get everything sorted out as quickly as he could. He didn't like it when Romano was mad at him. He loved his fratello despite anything he did. Romano always appeared to be mad or irritated but it was rare that Romano was ever really mad at Feliciano. Even when he was really mad, he never hit Feliciano. Ever.

The doorknob turned. Feliciano's heart leapt into his throat. He waited as the door slowly opened. It probably wasn't that slow but Feliciano was so scared that he had started trembling. The door opened, revealing Romano standing in the doorway. One look at Feliciano and the 'potato bastard' and his facial expression changed. His eyes narrowed into slits and his face reddened with anger.

"How dare you! I told you to get out and you have the nerve to bring the potato bastard's filth onto my house?" Romano snapped angrily. Feliciano's bottom lip trembled and tears stung his eyes. He tried to hold the tears back but he was never good at hiding his emotions. Ludwig spoke up next, his voice calm and cool though Feliciano knew he hated the way Romano spoke.

"I just came to bring him home and talk to you." Ludwig said.

"You're wasting my time! If you're going to say something, spit it out!" Romano snapped, interrupting him. Ludwig sighed, feeling a head ache beginning to pound against his skull.

"As I was going to say," Ludwig began, "It's not Feliciano's fault. I yelled at him at the meeting and made him cry. Before you say anything, I apologized and asked him to go to dinner to make up for it. It wasn't a date and there's no reason to hurt Feliciano."

Feliciano frowned. It wasn't a date? He thought it had been. Something in his stomach plummeted, sending a feeling of sadness through his veins. He knew he liked the German but he had always been too afraid to do anything about it. When Ludwig had asked him dinner, he thought his dreams of him and Ludwig finally being a couple was finally coming true. Even despite everything that had happened with Romano, he hadn't regretted any part of their 'date'. But Ludwig said it wasn't a date. He should have known. Ludwig would never like a person like him anyway. They were opposites; Ludwig was big and strong and didn't cry and had a hard time showing emotions (although Feliciano thought it was cute). Why would Ludwig even want to ask him to dinner if it wasn't to clean himself of the guilt he felt?

"What? You told him?" Romano asked furiously, rounding to glare at Feliciano dangerously.

Feliciano flinched. He shied away from Romano, expecting his brother to hit him again. He didn't but he looked like he was ready to. Ludwig quickly stepped in to Feliciano's defense once again.

"No, he didn't tell me and it took a while for me to get it out of him." Ludwig said calmly. His calm approach only seemed to make Romano even angrier but he would surely blow a fuse if Ludwig got mad as well. It was a lose-lose situation. Feliciano could tell that it wasn't going to go well but Ludwig wasn't going to give up.

"Romano, Feliciano has nowhere to stay. He's your brother; can't you forgive him?" Ludwig asked. The vein on Romano's forehead looked ready to burst. His face was a bright red now; much brighter than any tomato. Feliciano leaned closer to Ludwig; he knew his brother was going to burst.

"Forgive him? He disobeyed me! He talked back to me! He's a brat and he needs to learn his lesson! He deserved what I did to him and if he doesn't have a place to stay, that's not my problem!" Romano yelled, spitting in Ludwig's face with each word.

Feliciano could tell this wasn't going to end well. Romano was pushing Ludwig's temper and Ludwig was unintentionally pushing Romano over the edge. Feliciano had never seen his brother like this; it didn't make sense. He had no idea why he was being so abusive all of a sudden. He was usually the one who stood up to protect Feliciano if he was picked on but now he was the one physically hurting him.

"You do not own Feliciano; he does not have to obey you. If he wanted to go to dinner with someone, he can. He doesn't have to ask permission to." Ludwig calmly tried to explain to Lovino.

"You bastard...you took my brother away from me. You...he wouldn't have done this if it weren't for you!" Romano yelled. He looked straight into Ludwig's eyes. His golden eyes seemed to darken and Feliciano instantly recognized the look. Before he could warn Ludwig, Romano let out an animalistic scream and jumped at Ludwig.

Feliciano let out a scream. He couldn't stand to see the two people he loved the most fighting together. "Stop it!" he screamed though his voice was lost over their angry shouts.

Ludwig wasn't fighting as hard as he usually would since he didn't want to hurt Feliciano's brother. Romano was therefore able to force the German against the wall and wrap his hands around his throat. He squeezed tightly, his nails digging into the soft skin on Ludwig neck.

Ludwig gagged as he couldn't get the air into his lungs. Romano leaned close to Ludwig's face, smirking at how Ludwig gasped for air and his face started to turn red and then blue.

"No!" Feliciano yelled. "Stop it!" He quickly intervened, pulling Romano's hand away from Ludwig neck. The German gasped, trying to catch his breath. Feliciano glared at his brother angrily. Romano looked surprised at him. Feliciano never got mad; not even if Romano ruined his pasta or hit him. He just usually cried. He doubted he had ever seen Feliciano mad and to see him mad at him now, infuriated the older Italian.

"Get out!" he snapped. Feliciano's brown eyes became slits. He bent down to take Ludwig's arm. "Come on Ludwig..." Feliciano said gently. He turned his attention to the blond man, frowning guiltily when he saw the light hand marks on his neck. That would be a nasty bruise later. He led him to the car, leaving behind his brother and his home.

He was surprised by how much he didn't care. At least about Romano. He was furious at what he did to Ludwig but he didn't care about being kicked out. He was too worried about Ludwig and guilty to be feeling sympathy for himself. He didn't know where he would stay and to be honest, he didn't care either. He had to get Ludwig away from his brother and make sure he was ok. His biggest fear was that Ludwig would hate him.

He should have known that Ludwig could never hate him. He should have known that he felt the same thing for the Italian that the Italian felt for him.

A/N: Sorry this is so late. Dx. Happy birthday to PristineDreamworld, this stories other author. Be sure to drop a review and say happy birthday to her.


	6. Growing Flame

Candles. Ch. 6 Growing Flame

Silence. That was all there was in the car, except for Feliciano and Ludwig. They weren't going anywhere; Feliciano just wanted to get Ludwig away from Lovino before things got even worse. So apparently it hadn't been a date, just Ludwig getting rid of his guilt. He should've known. They had nothing in common; Ludwig was a tall, stoic soldier; Feliciano was more of a normal, cheerful, carefree citizen. They had nothing common, so why did he get his hopes up? Worse yet, he had let Ludwig get hurt. There was no way Ludwig had any chance of liking him after that.

Ludwig noticed how quiet Feliciano was. No wonder the silence was so deafening, Feliciano was usually chattering away about something.

"Feli, are you okay?" he asked, concerned. Feliciano hardly answered. He felt so guilty; he couldn't even bring himself to look at Ludwig.

"... Did you honestly mean it?" he asked quietly.

"Eh... was?" Ludwig was confused.

"Back there, you said it wasn't a date. Were you telling the truth?" Tears started to slowly seep into his voice. Ludwig felt especially guilty now. He could tell the little Italian was shaken up by the incident and that his decision to not call their dinner a date had gotten to Feliciano.

"Feli, I-"

"I mean, it would make sense if you don't actually like me. You could've just said you did to humor me. We don't have much in common; you prefer order and plans, clear-cut, black-and-white stuff. Me, I prefer colors, grey areas, abstract things. It just makes more sense that way. People don't always understand everything from the same point of view, and I understand if you don't feel the way I do. I always cry, I'm weak, and I let you get hurt just now. I wouldn't be surprised if you... hated... me..." He couldn't say anymore. Sobs wracked his body and tears raced out of his eyes, down his cheeks. Something gave out in Ludwig. He could now see that Feliciano had been broken. The unusual courage and anger that had momentarily inhabited the small Italian was gone, leaving a hollow, shaken shell.

Ludwig couldn't stand to see the Italian cry, especially when he loved Feliciano. He took the Italian into his arms, comforting him. The bruise from the enraged older Italian on his neck hurt like the dickens, but sweet, little Feliciano deserved so much more attention. Feliciano flinched at the touch like a mistreated animal that has hardly known a kind touch, but he eventually wrapped his arms around Ludwig, continuing to sob.

"Feli, ssh. It's okay; I would never hate you," Ludwig gently whispered. Feliciano stopped crying. He looked up into Ludwig's eyes, his own round, amber eyes moist with tears and his childish, round cheeks cherry-red and streaked with said tears. Ludwig sighed to himself and brought a hand up to wipe Feliciano's cheeks free of the tears, ushering a blush from the Italian at the touch.

"Wh-what...?" Feliciano's voice was quiet and sad, catching in his throat and sniffling. It broke Ludwig's heart; to him, Feliciano shouldn't have to go through such sad affairs, should never have to know the cold slap and rejection of a brother he looks up to. He should only have to lighten up the world with his sweet, bright smile.

"Nein, I can never hate you, Feliciano," he whispered softly.

"B-but I let you get hurt just now... And you said our dinner wasn't a date..." Now Ludwig could really tell that he had messed up with his earlier wording. He wiped away what he hoped would be the last of Feliciano's tears.

"Neither of those were your fault; there's no reason to beat yourself up about that. That last one wasn't your fault. That was mine; I thought if your brother didn't think it was a date, he wouldn't be as mad. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" Ludwig asked softly. Feliciano gently looked into Ludwig's bright cyan eyes. There was something genuine in Ludwig's eyes. He never lied especially about matters like these. He gently hugged Ludwig, his tears finally dissipating.

"Si…." He whispered gently. Ludwig gently secured his embrace around the Italian. He loved Feliciano and wanted to make sure he was never hurt again. That was when he had the idea: he could make sure no one would hurt the precious Italian as he recovered from this sadness if he was staying at Ludwig's house. The thought caused his face to go red at first, but the Italian was just so precious, so innocent, and so loveable… He would do anything to protect Feliciano; he swore that then and there. Feliciano seemed to catch his train of thought. He sat back up in his seat of the car.

"Oh, that's right! I don't have anywhere to go…" Feliciano's face fell slightly. Ludwig took in a deep breath.

'Here goes!' "Um, you could stay at my place." The air seemed to freeze as the offer sank in. The Italian's eyes lit up.

"R-really? I can?" Feliciano asked, his eyes bright and his personality becoming normal. Ludwig kept a smile to himself; he took this as a good sign. Still, he blushed at how adorable the Italian looked. Ludwig nodded.

"J-ja… So, if you want to get your things, you can." The Italian nodded cheerfully.

"Okay, I'll be right back~" Feliciano started to get out of the car. But Ludwig stopped him.

"Should I go up with you? What if it's your brother who answers the door again?" Feliciano couldn't help but smile; Ludwig was so concerned for him. It was kind of adorable. Feliciano shook his head with a smile.

"I'll be okay; Grazie, Ludwig~" Ludwig nodded, blushing. Feliciano smiled and closed his door. He walked back up the walkway to the house and, for the first and only time in his life, wanted desperately to see his sister. Feliciano knocked tentatively, his heart racing in anticipation. The door opened. There stood a young woman, her dark brown hair short with a single skyward-pointing curl, her golden-amber eyes inquisitive, and a grey Sicilian coppola on her head. Feliciano was relieved; it was Alessandra. However, she was not as glad to see him. She folded her arms over her chest.

"Can I help you, North?" she asked, using her nickname for him. Feliciano rolled his eyes slightly. Despite the circumstances, their relations had hardly changed.

"Um, I just came to get my belongings… Where's fratello?" He looked around the house as if expecting him to appear.

"I snuck him some cold medicine to calm him down. He's out like a light right now, but don't make too much noise." Alessandra moved out of the doorway and let him in. Feliciano walked in and towards his room, pulling everything together in a suitcase; his art supplies, his clothes, etc. Once he had everything together, he left for the door. He gave a small nod to Alessandra.

"Well, sorella… Arrivederci." Alessandra nodded back.

"Yeah… Addio." Part of Feliciano felt the sting of her use of a different goodbye, but he knew it was true. He would start a new life, leaving the old one behind. He gave her a final wave and walked out of the door, closing it behind him. Feliciano dragged the suitcase down the walkway to Ludwig's car. The further he got from the house, the lighter he felt. Of course, the effects of Lovino's behavior were residual, and he still felt the effects. However, he could tell that there was a difference. Ludwig poked his head out of the car window.

"Hey, you need help?" Feliciano smiled softly. It was adorable when Ludwig cared so much about him. He shook his head.

"No thanks, Ludwig~ I'm okay!" He smiled and went to put his suitcase in the trunk, not seeing the German nod and blush. It took a little effort, but he finally got his suitcase in the trunk. After closing the trunk, he went back to his seat. He climbed in and buckled up.

"So, you ready to go?" Ludwig asked. Feliciano nodded cheerfully.

"Yup~" Feliciano smiled brightly. Ludwig smiled and started up the car. He was glad that Feliciano seemed to be returning to normal, though he could tell Feliciano was still recovering. He started driving away from the house that had recently brought Feliciano sadness.

"Just want warn you, Gilbert's usually drunk by this hour." Ludwig said. Feliciano shuddered slightly. Everyone who knew the Prussian knew he wasn't a pretty sight when he was drunk, though some said he was the life of the party in this inebriated state. Ludwig couldn't help but smile. He was glad that he could distract Feliciano from the affairs as of late, though his neck still hurt from Lovino's attack. If it was for Feliciano, it didn't matter what happened to him, so long as Feliciano was safe and happy.

"He won't hurt you, don't worry. He's usually in the basement." Ludwig added. Feliciano brightened up at the revelation.

"Phew~" He breathed, relieved. Ludwig chuckled and kept on driving in the deepening night. Feliciano gazed out at the slowly-rising moon, pale yet bright. It promised the coming morning and, with it, a new start.


	7. Potential Flame

Candles Ch. 7

A/N: Pristine and I switched so now she will write the odd chapters and I'll write the even chapters. ^^

~/~

Needless to say, Feliciano was starting to act more like his usual self the closer they got to their destination. However, he wasn't quite the same. He wasn't as cheerful and energetic as he had been earlier that day. Feliciano would normally chatter nonsensically from one subject to the next, but now he only spoke when asked something. Ludwig frowned.

"Feli, are you okay?" Said Italian looked over and smiled as he usually did.

"Sí, I'm okay~" Ludwig nodded.

"Good. Sorry, it's just that you were spacing out and it's not really like you." Feliciano nodded understandingly.

"I know, it's just... I can't figure out why he started acting the way he did." Ludwig glanced over. An unusual, pondering look had come over the Italian's face. He didn't know what he meant until it occurred to him that he was talking about Lovino.

"What do you mean?" he asked, but wanted to take it back, not meaning to pry.

"Fratello." Ludwig didn't know every word in the Italian language, but his time around Feli and the context of the conversation gave him the meaning.

"Oh... That might've been my fault." Ludwig said in a penitent manner. Lovino never really liked Ludwig and thought that he could be the root of Feliciano's familial problems. Feliciano turned to look at him as the German drove, shaking his head.

"N-no, it wasn't you! Actually, it's been going on for a while!" Feliciano rushed to say. Ludwig was stunned at this revelation. Exactly how long had this been going on? Feliciano seemed to have read his mind as he continued.

"It was a couple weeks ago. Fratello had just sent a text, but he was very adamant to not let me see the message, though I could see that the recipient was Antonio. Fratello kept waiting for a reply, but the longer he waited, the more easily agitated he got. One time, Alessandra said she wanted to go out with Herakles, but fratello refused and reprimanded her for I don't know what. He muttered something about if he couldn't, nobody could."

Ludwig thought about it as he drove. All this over a text message? At the first listen-through, it sounded like a bad teenage, afterschool drama plot. Then again, Romano often had a very bad temper. Paired with his very low patience, it was like fire and gasoline.

"Hmm. I wonder why he didn't get a response. Regardless, he shouldn't take his stress out on you two." Ludwig said. Feliciano nodded.

"I know, but I never got the courage to convince him of that. I was afraid he'd do something. After he yelled at my sister, I tried to tell him to find different ways to vent. He told me to shut up, that I didn't know anything..." he trailed off and a tear dripped down his cheek as he sniffled. That hadn't been the best day of his life. Ludwig noticed. They were at a stoplight, so he was able to root through the organized glovebox and give him a tissue, which the Italian took.

"Don't worry. It's going to be alright." He said. The stoplight shifted to green and the car continued on its way. Feliciano wiped the tears away and blew his nose while he was at it.

"Sí. Grazie, Luddy~" he smiled. Ludwig blushed and nodded, continue driving and not sure what else to do. Eventually they arrived at Ludwig's house. He stopped the car but didn't get out. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Feli, I know you're going through some rough times. I genuinely want to help you, but I'm awkward. B-But I want you to you to know that I do like you despite how I may act." he looked away from the Italian, his face pink with a blush.

Feliciano took what he said into consideration. He smiled tenderly. Knowing that Ludwig was helping him and doing his best to do so was helping in itself. Feliciano thought he almost didn't deserve someone as strong and loyal as Ludwig... but he was very lucky that Ludwig had seemed to genuinely want to help and be close to him.

"... Grazie, Luddy. It's okay; I can tell~" he said as he leaned over and kissed his cheek. He immediately got out to get his suitcase, missing the chance to see Ludwig's face turn rose red. Ludwig pulled his act together and pressed the button that unlocked the trunk. He opened his own door and stepped out of the car. Feliciano was just opening the trunk.

"D-do you need any help?" Ludwig asked. Feliciano peeked around the open trunk of the Volkswagen at the German and shook his head, with his trademark smile.

"No thanks, I'm fine~" Ludwig nodded and waited for him. With a little effort, Feliciano finally managed to get his belongings out of the back. He followed after Ludwig, who was getting his key out of his pocket. The German put the key in the lock and, with a turn, unlocked the door. Italy went in the house.

The house was so clean and neat; one would've thought somebody had just moved in. Of course, Ludwig prided himself on keeping things neat and orderly. Italy looked around as he let out a breath he hadn't even known he was holding. He didn't know why but he felt much more comfortable in Ludwig's house. Ludwig closed the door and went into the house himself.

"There's a guest room down the hall upstairs. Feel free to look around, but don't make a mess." Italy nodded.

"Okay~ Grazie, Luddy~!" he smiled as he dashed upstairs with his suitcase in tow. Ludwig sighed. He hadn't expected any of this to happen at all. Feliciano came back downstairs, apparently situated in the room. Ludwig's Doberman, Berlitz, had been sleeping on the living room couch and, hearing the sound approach again, decided to investigate what exactly the sound was.

The black, short-coated dog with a brown muzzle, eyebrow markings, brown paws, erect ears, and docked tail would've normally intimidated most people. However, Feliciano was not afraid. The dog padded over to the Italian. Feliciano held out his hand gently in proper human-dog etiquette. Berlitz sniffed for a minute and realized that the Italian human was a friend. He sat on his haunches, allowing the Italian to pet him.

The Italian smiled, his amber eyes bright. He tended to be a bit of a cat person, but dogs were cute too and they tended to like him. He knelt down and scratched between the dog's ears as he glanced at the name tag around the Doberman's neck.

"Hi, Berlitz~" he smiled softly. All this attention was making the Doberman's tail wag. Ludwig smiled at the two, but especially at Feliciano. He had cheered up so much compared to earlier. Ludwig went over to them and knelt as well so he was more or less at the same height as Feliciano.

"You two seem pretty close already." Feliciano nodded happily.

"Yep~ He's so cute~" Ludwig chuckled.

"Have you met the other two?" Feliciano looked up at him with incredulity.

"Ve~? There are others?" Berlitz whined and waved his paw in the air to get Feliciano's attention again. The Italian's hand traveled back to the Doberman's head and scratched gently as he waited for Ludwig's answer. The latter chuckled and nodded. He held up three fingers.

"There are a total of three. The others are probably with Gilbert." Feliciano nodded.

"Hm~" Feliciano continued to scratch behind the dog's ears as he pondered what the dogs looked like. He remembered what Ludwig had said about Gilbert's behavior at this time of night.

"Would you like to see them?" Ludwig inquired. Feliciano thought and nodded. The German chuckled.

"Alright." he stood up and headed over to the basement door, Feliciano following. Ludwig carefully opened the door and made a gesture to 'be as quiet as possible'. Feli nodded, understanding. Ludwig started carefully down after flipping a light switch, enabling vision to see the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, he tugged on a cord that turned on the basement lights. The underground room was a little bleak compared to upstairs, but it was a basement. It wasn't supposed to fashionable, just functional. The walls were grey with the concrete that formed them. There were some boxes around the room that stored various items not currently being used, a TV, and a couch. This couch was not uninhabited.

There was a certain Prussian, sleeping, thank heavens. He was sprawled on the couch under a blanket and two dogs. His arm had fallen to the floor, holding a TV remote, near some empty beer bottles. His companions were a brown German shepherd with the defining black saddle, black muzzle, and ears cropped like Berlitz' and a golden dog with soft fur that looked like a golden retriever, but was called a Hovawart.

They heard someone approach and looked up. Seeing their master, they relaxed but did not get up. They were too comfortable to move. Instead, Feliciano went to them. Ludwig smiled at his typical older brother.

"What are their names?" Feliciano whispered carefully to not wake up Gilbert. Ludwig gestured first to the German shepherd then the Hovawart.

"The German shepherd is Blackie, and the Hovawart is Aster," he answered carefully as well. Feliciano smiled and nodded, carefully petting the Hovawart's head. Despite the current apathy towards strenuous movement from both dogs, Aster lifted his tail and wagged it a bit. He liked this attention and, therefore, this person. Ludwig smiled at him.

"Aww~ they're so cute~" Feliciano cooed about the dogs.

"Ja, they're good dogs..." he commented. Feliciano smiled and nodded.

"They really are~" he went to pet Blackie. The brown and black dog did the same as Aster, his tail-wagging saying more than a bark. Ludwig smiled gently at how the Italian was getting along with his dogs.

"I think they'll like having you here." he said. Feliciano blushed and smiled.

'I know I'll like being here~' he thought to himself. All was quiet for a moment. Aster stretched out and jumped off of the sleeping Prussian, heading for the stairs. Gilbert stirred at the movement. Feliciano froze, afraid he would wake up. Thankfully, he remained asleep and Feliciano released a sigh.

"We should head back upstairs before we wake him up," Ludwig whispered quietly, glancing cautiously at his inebriated, unconscious brother. Feliciano nodded and stood up.

"Okay~" Ludwig let him go up first so he could turn out the lights in the basement and leave Gilbert to sleep off his impending hangover. When he got upstairs, he saw Berlitz bound up to the Italian, whimpering for attention as if Feliciano had been gone for a very long time. Feliciano complied and kneeled to pet him.

"I'm sorry I left! Was Berlitz lonely?" he cooed to the Doberman, who was instantly happier. Ludwig smiled. Then it hit him: Feliciano belonged here; not just at the house, but near him, in his life.

For a while, Ludwig thought his house and life had everything he would ever need. But around the time that he recognized that he liked Feliciano, something was missing. His house felt bigger and emptier but something personally felt off that he couldn't quite identify. When Feliciano proved that Ludwig's feelings for him were mutual, everything seemed a lot clearer, made sense, was lighter. Even though he had been treated brutally by Feliciano's older brother, he would go through it ten thousand times over to keep the sweet Italian happy safe and by his side.

He snapped out of it and looked down at Berlitz and Feliciano. The latter had spaced out for some reason and his brown eyes were unfocused, as if he could see something Ludwig could not.

"Are you okay?" he inquired. Something in the Italian snapped back to normal and he looked back at Ludwig, his eyes golden-brown with the arresting shine they were famous for. He nodded.

"Ve? Sí, I'm fine. Did I space out again? Man, I've been doing that a lot lately~" he rubbed the back of his neck with a playful smile. Ludwig nodded and nodded,

"I guess you've got a lot to think about." Feliciano nodded, a slightly mellow look over came over his face at the remark. Berlitz had rolled onto his back for a belly-scratching to which Feliciano complied.

"I suppose so." A minute later, he felt his eyelids droop and a yawn exit his mouth. He glanced up at the mantle clock and saw that it was getting late. Ludwig glanced down at him.

"Did you find your room alright? You look tired." Feliciano nodded and stood, leaving the Doberman to his own devices.

"Yeah, I am kinda tired. I think I'm gonna head to bed." He turned to Ludwig, still a head shorter than him. Feliciano gently wrapped his arms around him and Ludwig blushed at the action. He hugged Ludwig out of love and gratefulness for all that Ludwig had done for him.

"Sogni d'oro, Luddy~" he whispered softy. Ludwig hugged back awkwardly.

"G-Guten nacht." After a while, Feliciano gently pulled away and went upstairs to his room. Ludwig sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He hated being so awkward. He retired to his own room as well, thinking of ways to help the Italian.

Feliciano got ready for bed. Normally, he would try to go to sleep in Ludwig's bed, but he was too tired to do so. He laid down under the covers, gazing up at the ceiling, pale by the moonlight in the dark, nighttime room. He remembered what Ludwig had said in the car; that he wanted to help but he was awkward. Feliciano thought that aspect about him was adorable.

'He can be so adorable... sometimes...' He thought to himself as sleep overtook him and lead to the next morning, starting a new chapter in both Feliciano's and Ludwig's lives.


End file.
